Many IDA members have contacted us recently about
websites that feature "crush films" - videos of horrific cruelty to
animals made to appeal to sexual deviants who are aroused by the torture
and killing of animals. These movies represent the extreme end of the
pornographic spectrum, and typically feature women with names like
Princess of Death and Debbie the Destructor slowly crushing kittens,
puppies, monkeys, rodents, frogs and other small animals under stiletto
heels, or with their buttocks or cleavage. Though it is difficult to
understand why anyone would be sexually stimulated by watching helpless
animals being tortured and killed, one undercover investigator's
experience offers insight into the depraved minds of such individuals.
While posing as a participant in a crush film, the investigator (who was
doing research for the Ventura County, California district attorney's
office) was given precise instructions on how to kill a dog and told to
torture the animal for at least 90 minutes before delivering the death
blow. Through her participation in chat rooms, the investigator discovered
that crush fetishists like to fantasize that they themselves are being
trampled to death under the foot of a merciless dominatrix, so prolonging
the torture apparently serves to increase the viewer's lustful excitement.
The popularity of crush videos continues to rise dramatically despite
passage of a federal law in 1999 banning the creation, sale or possession
of films featuring crushing or stomping of animals. An estimated 2,000
titles in this sickening genre have been produced so far, and the global
market for these movies is growing rapidly with the proliferation of
peer-to-peer video file sharing networks like MySpace and YouTube. There
are also an increasing number of websites featuring crush films alongside
other videos depicting violence, gore and shocking cruelty. While crush
films are strictly illegal, certain factors make prosecuting individuals
who make and distribute them difficult. For instance, crush fetishists in
the U.S. can legally give these videos away for free online as long as
their Internet hosting company is located in a country where animal snuff
films are still legal. Identifying those who make, promote and star in the
videos is also challenging. Crush actresses usually hide their faces from
the camera's view, and websites that carry the videos often don't track
information about those who submit them. While prosecuting those who make,
promote, distribute and act in animal snuff films is a formidable task,
criminal charges and even convictions have been brought against some of
these individuals. Efforts by animal advocates and concerned citizens to
alert authorities to illegal crush videos have been instrumental in
bringing these dangerous deviants to justice.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Since crush videos feature crimes
caught on film, please report websites that feature these sick movies to
both the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Justice Department
and ask them to investigate the illegal animal cruelty they depict and
arrest those responsible.
- FBI (contact your local FBI office):
http://www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/fo.htm
- Department of Justice:
www.usdoj.gov/contact-us.html